This volume represents an English translation of many religious
texts from the thirteenth century B.C. city of Ugarit and written in
the distinctive alphabetic cuneiform script found in many of the clay
tablets of that city. The texts are an extremely valuable source of the
background to the Canaanite religion as found in the Bible. Here are
myths, sacrifices, and even a prayer to Baal, Asherah, El, Anat, and
other deities of the pantheon that the prophets condemned so harshly.
Although Ugarit was technically not in Canaan, it lay just outside the
boundaries of that land, the city was close enough in time and place to
represent what may be assumed to be similar sentiments regarding its
deities as those found among the Canaanites themselves. Because the
Ugarit religious texts represent by far the largest number of texts
dealing with these matters, they have become an invaluable source for
the study of the Bible. In their own way, they provide more background
than the more famous Dead Sea Scrolls.

Wyatt translates all the most important mythological texts including
the lengthy Baal cycle, the story of Keret, that of Aqhat, and the
birth of the gracious gods. In addition, dozens of other smaller or
fragmentary texts are also translated. Each text is provided with an
introduction, including discussion of just how fragmentary the text is
and a summary of the theme and contents of the text itself. Further,
there are copious footnotes, often taking up more of the page than the
translation itself. This is necessary because so much uncertainty
exists about the translation of many of the passages. At the end, there
is a bibliography and several indices, including an index of Scriptural
references.

In reading this material, the student of the Bible will learn not
only about the practices of deities that will reappear in the later
texts of the Bible, many nuances, expressions, and forms that occur in
the Old Testament will be studied in terms of their background. Thus
the background of terms such as messiah, of motifs such as God's
victory over the sea, and of themes such as the may occur in divine
titles may be identified. Also the same sorts of parallelism, word
pairs, and other poetic expressions as occur in the Psalms may be found
earlier in the Ugaritic literature.

Wyatt's approach is sometimes to venture farther than other
translators would in attempting to provide a meaning to difficult or
disputed parts of the text. While this is helpful for the English
reader and often defended in his notes, it may on occasion give the
wrong impression. It would be helpful for the reader to consult another
translation for some texts to gain a sense of balance regarding what is
certain and what is not.

The translator also has a view regarding these texts. He sees them
as reflections of a culture that was far more civilized and noble than
many would give the Canaanites credit for. No doubt Ugarit represented
a successful cosmopolitan center with far greater sophistication in
many areas than the land that the biblical writers came from; and no
doubt modern readers of the Bible read a more negative assessment of
Canaanite culture into the Bible than what is actually written.
However, it remains to be proven that the deities of these myths were
noble individuals with moral constraints. Indeed, a key example of this
appears on p. 96 where, in the Baal myth describes sacrifices that Baal
hates (CAT 1.4 III 17-23, here lines 19-21):

a sacrifice of shame,
and a sacrifice of whoredom,
and a sacrifice of the debauching of handmaidens.

From this Wyatt concludes that "a high moral tone was demanded".
Indeed, it would seem to present Baal in a completely different light
than the licentious practices that worship of Baal and Asherah produces
in Hosea and other prophetic books. One resolution might be to argue
that these two texts are separated in time by more than 400 years and
also differ in terms of their society. Baal could be understood in
different ways in different cultures. However, and more importantly,
the real problem lies in the translation of these passages. They are
not certain. A leading Ugaritic scholar, Dennis Pardee, translates them
as follows (The Context of Scripture. Volume 1, ed. W.W. Hallo. Leiden: Brill, 1997, p. 258):

An improper feast,
a low-quality feast,
and a feast where the female servants misbehave.

The difference is clear and preserves the low moral reputation of
these deities, a perspective supported in other Ugaritic texts (e.g.,
CAT 1.23). The problem is not just one small text, but represents
Wyatt's general concern to rehabilitate the Ugaritic texts. In itself
this is often laudable and useful. It is unfortunate, however, that it
is so often done at the expense of the biblical text.

However, readers should examine this excellent collection for
themselves. Nowhere else is there an up-to-date English translation of
so many of these important texts. Wyatt is to thanked for this work and
lauded for his efforts to make the religion of Ugarit available to
English readers.